Taj Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Hickory

Last night, I went to Taj with my fiancee, my dad, and my stepmom. We were seated within one minute of walking through the door. Our waitress was very polite and cheerful, which is sometimes a rarity in restaurants these days. She brought us a big thing of water for the table right after we sat down, which I personally appreciated because I very much enjoy water and I like not having to specifically order it. Our appetizers were very good. We got the chili chicken, samosas, and something else. I forget the name of it, but it was basically rectangles of cheese. The chili chicken was delicious, and probably my favorite appetizer out of the three. The samosas and cheese rectangles were pretty good as well. I should probably note, as we were ordering, the waitress asked what spice level we would each like for our food, on a scale of 1 to 5. This admittedly got me a little excited, because I absolutely love Indian food that is spicy. My fiancee ordered chicken Tikka masala, level 1 spice. My dad ordered the same, but level 3 spice. My stepmom ordered butter chicken, level 2 spice. And I got the tandoori chicken, level 4 spice. As I said, I absolutely love spicy food. Although, contrary to popular belief, my tolerance for spice isn't extremely high. It may be a bit higher than the average person, but I can definitely tell if something is spicy or not. This point brings us to my major disappointment of this meal. My tandoori chicken, allegedly spice level 4, was not spicy at all. I tasted a piece of all the food on the table, from my fiancees level 1 Tikka masala, to my level 4 tandoori chicken, and i could not tell a difference between the spiciness of anything on the table. They all tasted like they had the exact same level of spice, which, to me, felt like a 1 or a 2. I'm not sure what happened with that; if the "spice levels" just aren't real, and they just ask that for dramatic effect or something, or if they just make assumptions of my spice tolerance because I'm white (I hate to pull that card, but it has happened to me before at other Indian restaurants), but either way, the spiciness was severely disappointing. This is not to say that the food was bad, it wasn't, the food was all very good. My tandoori chicken was slightly bland, but it wasn't outright bad by any stretch of the imagination. Now to the presentation. After our appetizer plates were removed from the table, we were all given large dinner plates. The Tikka masala and butter chicken were presented in these nice little metal bowls, which I thought was a very nice touch. My tandoori chicken was served to me similarly to a fajita at a Mexican restaurant; in a cast iron pan resting on a wooden holder. My tandoori chicken was served with an egregious amount of carrots. I think there was more carrot than chicken, to be honest. I don't really like carrots, but I tried a piece and they weren't bad.

In conclusion, The food is decent, but the spice levels seem arbitrary, if they actually exist beyond the ordering phase of the experience. The service was wonderful and pleasant. The prices are reasonable for an establishment like this. I will be going back to Taj another time, to try a spice level 5 and see if it's actually spicy. If it is, then I will edit this review, and possibly increase my rating. If it's not, then I will most likely decrease the rating.

Overall, very...

A small, very comfortable spot (though a little tricky to get to from the road). Something in the realm of 15 tables, I think. Today we had a wonderful server, a gorgeous lady who was very attentive but not overbearing, had perfect timing, and never let our glasses get empty (she refilled when we reached between 1/4 and 1/2 a glass, so she didn't constantly top off and didn't let them get too low). The food was wonderful, appetizers were generous and delicious, naan was incredible, and curry was exactly what I needed. Be warned that the spice levels seem to run a little hot based on my experience in other restaurants--if you're perfect at a usual 3 then consider trying a 2, etc. They really cater to the fire-breathers, as an Indian restaurant should. Their prices are more than fair for the high quality, $12-15 ish for the average entree, $2 for each side, $4-6 for the naan options, and anywhere from $5-10 for appetizers. We got two entrees, one of the biggest appetizers, a side, and two naan orders plus one soda and got out for $58 before tip. There was a great selection of beer and wine and a small bar. Because of the size and shape of the restaurant any loud tables were very audible. Entrees came in a wonderful setup--one empty plate with a bowl of rice and a bowl of curry, so you could mix them on the plate to the ratio you prefer. Generous portions but not overwhelming. The menu separated meat and vegetarian options of both appetizers and entrees, which made my life so much easier as a vegetarian and encouraged my fiance to go for the lamb section. My only qualm was the to-go boxes are a recycled cardboard, which doesn't hold up well with the wetness of curry. They didn't tear, but the bottoms have collapsed in so they're difficult to carry, however I know styrofoam is pretty terrible and non-recyclable. Some kind of lining would be ideal for...

My wife and I drove almost an hour to Hickory for some good food and Taj Indian Cuisine was well worth the drive. No words can explain how grateful I am to the staff and chef. The food was amazing… how amazing you ask? Good enough we ordered an extra entre and two sides to go. Because once you taste it you won’t want to stop.

I do have to say the spice levels are 0-5 and I thought I would go for a 2 so I could have a nice even spice to flavor ratio. Well after one bite I knew two things; The spice rating are way off cause #2 tasted fine like I could have gone with a 4 or 5 and still been fine.

The flavor was so well curated that even if my mouth was on fire and my taste buds gave way I wouldn’t stop eating.

The staff were amazing!

Something simple I enjoyed was the travel food Chanel in the background that was showcasing various Indian styles dishes being served. Normally I crave whatever the host is eating and wish they would share but this time I sat thinking to myself “if only those chefs and film crew could be here.”

Having had curry all over the world and tried various styles I have to say Taj IS MY NEW FAVORITE.

The Vegetable Samosas are to die for and the naan bread and not to soft and doesn’t have a rubber or hard texture at all.

Like this is where Goldilocks comes for lunch and dinner because everything is “just right”.

p.s.- If you would ever consider a second location more towards Wilkesboro I would definitely be a...